Chasing Thirteen
by MeanderingFlames
Summary: Thirteen has to convince Chase to open up a patient's head to check for possible MS...But not even Chase is willing to do it. Chase/Thirteen.
1. Pancreas?

"35 year old, admitted last year for head trauma has been experiencing seizures, nausea, heart palpitations, and vomiting. CT scans were clean, they showed no evidence of brain damage."

"Could it be the heart?" Taub inputted thoughtfully. "A clot could explain the nausea, seizures, and heart palpitations."

"An ultrasound of the heart was done; there were no abnormal obstructions visible."  
"It could be the pancreas," Thirteen interjected. "An infection could cause all the symptoms."

"But heart palpitations?" Foreman skepticized. "Those are two completely different organs."

"Maybe the heart palpitations aren't a symptom," Thirteen said. "The pancreas would explain everything else; maybe the heart palpitations are something different all together."

"Look at the pancreas," said House. "Check it for infection." He tapped his cane meaningfully on the tile floor. "And meanwhile if you need me, I'll be in Cuddy's office, reading Time magazine and having an intellectual conversation." He turned on his heel and strode out through the glass doors, leaving the three doctors alone.

"Let's get to it," Foreman exclaimed, standing up and grabbing his clipboard. "Well?"  
Thirteen and Taub stood up hesitantly and left the office with Foreman, quickly making their way to room 434 and wheeling in an ultrasound machine.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Taub and we'll be taking a look at your pancreas today," he said to the man in the bed closest to the window, whose chart read: "Brent Robbins, 35," and listed his symptoms.

"What are you checking for?" Brent asked, watching as Thirteen grabbed the jelly from the cart.

"An infection could be causing your symptoms," she responded. "It could be easily treated with antibiotics." She then had him lift up his hospital gown so his abdomen was visible; she squirted the jelly on his stomach and rubbed it in. "Sorry, it's kind of cold." She then picked up the scope and turned on the computer, rubbing the scope around the area his pancreas was located in.

"Is that my pancreas?"

"Yup," Taub answered, scrutinizing the picture. "Pancreas is clear. No sign of infection."

"Okay," Thirteen said, wiping off the scope and the patient's stomach. "So what's left?"

"Excuse me?" Brent asked politely.

"Yes?" Thirteen asked, turning back to her patient.

"Sorry to bother you, but who are you?"

"Who—who am I? I'm Dr. Hadley, I just did an ultrasound on your pancreas."

"No you didn't." Brent said, looking from doctor to doctor. "I've been sitting here all day waiting for Dr. House to get back and tell me what's wrong with me. What are you doing here?"

The three doctors looked at each other with the same reaction: A new symptom.

******************************************************

"So now we add confusion to our list, "House said, the whiteboard marker squeaking annoyingly.

"It could be MS," Foreman offered.

"Brain scan was clean," House said, "Unless it's on a tricky little nerve that doesn't show up on the scan…" He stopped writing for a moment before turning back to the doctors. "Go talk to Chase, convince him to cut open this guy's head."

"He'll never go for that," Thirteen said. "We don't even know if it's MS yet!"

"Which is why we need Chase to cut open his head," House said, "before our patient starts hallucinating he's Barry Manilow. Go!"

Thirteen stood up first and left for the cafeteria, where it was most likely she'd find Chase.


	2. Chase

"Dr. Chase," Thirteen said, sitting down across from him as he ate his cafeteria salad."Thirteen," Chase responded, eyeing Thirteen cautiously. Whenever a member of House's team came visiting it meant trouble.

"How are you?" Thirteen asked, resting her chin on her hands.

"What does House want?" Chase asked exasperatedly.

"What, I can't come visit a friend at lunch?" Thirteen asked innocently. "I just want to talk!"

"Yeah right," Chase said. "What does he want?"

"We need to check a patient for MS." Thirteen said. "That involves—"

"Cutting into the head, yeah, I know. Is there any evidence of MS?" Chase asked, knowing the answer.

"Not yet, but that's what the test is for."

"Absolutely not," Chase responded, taking another bite of his salad. "Without evidence, there is no way I'm cutting into this guy's head."

"I need relationship advice," Thirteen said suddenly.

"Oh?" Chase responded, a note of surprise in his voice

"Foreman is moving too fast for me," she replied. "He wants me to move in with him."

"And you don't want to?"

"Not yet, no." She sighed.

"Well, I would tell him the truth." Chase said. "Now go tell Dr. House that no way, under any circumstance am I cutting into this guy's head!"

"Thanks, Chase. You're a real friend." Thirteen stood up, frustrated, and left.

Thirteen strode purposefully down the hall of the hospital when Foreman caught up with her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"Any luck with Chase?"

"Nope. No evidence, no surgery."

"We just got evidence," Foreman said. "Or, enough evidence to cut into his brain."

"What happened?"

"About half an hour ago he started seizing. We pushed 10 mills of lorazepam; about five minutes later his seizures stopped, but he started bleeding out of his eyes and nose."

"Why wasn't I paged?" Thirteen asked.

"House thought you'd have your hands full convincing Chase," Foreman said. "Plus, the patient showed signs of hysteria. He was highly dangerous."

"I can handle myself, Eric. I hardly think a man bleeding from his eyes and nose would be able to cause me harm, especially after having a seizure."

"I know that. But-"

"Okay. You know what? Stop. I'm going to go back and tell Chase about the new symptom. You… Eric." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "No matter how much you think that Huntington's is going to affect my ability to perform as a doctor, you're wrong. I'm me. I can take care of myself."

"Remy-" Foreman started.

"Stop."

"Listen!" Foreman grabbed her shoulder and looked deep into her clear blue eyes. "I know you can take care of yourself. I have never judged your abilities as a doctor because of your disease, and Remy, I'm never going to look at you as your disease."

"I need to go find Chase," she muttered, spinning on her heel and storming off down the hall.


	3. Lipstick

A/N: Sorry it's been a while since an update... I've been kind of really busy. Please review and tell me what you think!

Thirteen stormed into the doctor's lounge with a fire in her eyes. As she scanned the room for the familiar blond hair and cocky attitude, she took deep breaths, trying to quell the anger that was threatening to boil over.

"Dr. Hadley?" Said a familiar Australian drawl.

"Chase!" Her eyes lit up.

"Are you okay?"

"Fantastic." Thirteen stared at the floor awkwardly for a moment.

"Can I help you?"

"Oh… Oh yeah," she said. "The patient is hemorrhaging; bleeding from the eyes and ears after a clonic seizure. Enough reason to check the brain yet?"

"Have you done an MRI?"

"Scan was clean."

"And you checked the heart?"

"Would I be asking you to cut open his head if I hadn't exhausted all other possibilities?"

"You might not, but House definitely would. Bring me his chart and I'll think about it."

"I'll be right back." She said, then took a few steps towards the door. "You know what? You don't seem very busy for a neurosurgeon."

"Not every patient needs their head cut into. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight for a little dancing. Would you be up to it?"

Chase took a sip from his coffee. "What about Foreman?"

"What about Foreman?" Thirteen asked.

"Well, his girlfriend escorting another guy to a club? A little risqué."

"Don't worry about Foreman," Thirteen said. "So I'll meet you outside at eight then?"

Chase nodded curtly as Thirteen turned around again and headed for the door.

"Don't forget the patient's chart!" Chase yelled after the green eyed doctor.

Thirteen waved her hand in the air but said nothing as she walked to the elevator.

She tried not to get too excited as she went through the rest of her day. Their patient's surgery was scheduled for the next day, and nothing new had developed.

Thirteen loved dancing; she loved getting in the rhythm of the music and throwing back a few drinks. She was born to party.

So at eight o'clock, she left the hospital and waited for the Aussie to show up. It was snowing lightly, the drifts dusting her eyelashes lightly. She stuck out her tongue on an impulse and spun around in a circle, catching snowflakes on her tongue like she did when she was a child.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Thirteen smiled. "I love the snow."

"In Sydney, we don't have too much snow."

"You've lived here for years! You must a have gotten used to it by now."

"Umm… Not quite." Chase cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. "So, where are we off to?"

"It's a secret." Thirteen said, and put a finger up to her lips. "Come on."

She unlocked her car and put it in reverse, then sped off to the number one lesbian club in all of New Jersey.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no. Not there." Chase said as he saw the large _LIPSTICK _sign. "You took me to a lesbian bar?"

"What, you don't like to spend time around sexy girls?" Thirteen smiled seductively as she turned off her car and opened her door. "Come on!"

Chase reluctantly left the car and sighed.

"It'll be fun," Thirteen said, tugging on his hand. She pulled him across the road into the disco lit bar.

"Remy! Good to see you," the large bouncer said. "He with you?"

"Yeah, Miles." She smiled as he waved them in.

"You behave yourself," Miles said to Chase with a glare as they entered the door.

Chase and Thirteen were overcome with the blasts of loud music. There was a crowd of women in the center of the large club, dancing on floor tiles that lit up with beams of red and yellow. A large bar sat across the wall, with bartenders in tight leather shirts and short skirts.

"Want a drink?" Thirteen asked. When Chase hesitated, she dragged him over to the bar and shouted to the bartender, "two vodka tonics, please!"

The bartender handed over the drinks with a wink, and Thirteen passed one to Chase. "To a good time tonight," she said, and sipped on her drink.

Chase shook his head and took a large swig from the glass. His face screwed up as the liquor passed through his lips. "Oh."

Remy laughed and put her drink down on the bar table. She grabbed Chase's hand and dragged him towards the flashing dance floor.

Chase, startled, obeyed her and slid through the mob of beautiful women dancing close. Remy grabbed the hand that didn't hold his drink and put it on her waist. She bend her knees low and then slowly came back up. "Come on," she said. "Dance with me!"

Chase fought the urge to leave the bar right then, and instead took another sip of his drink. He nodded his head to the beat as Thirteen rubbed up against him.

"Want another one, sweetie?" Asked an older woman in a spandex one-piece. Chase nodded as she grabbed his glass and then brought over a new glass.

"Thanks," he muttered. The woman smiled brightly and giggled, then returned to her place in the corner with a significantly younger girl.

"That's Mauve," Thirteen said, looking up at him. "The bar-mother."

"O…kay?" Chase said as he downed this drink faster than the last. Someone grabbed his glass, but he was no longer aware of what was happening.

"Shots?" Thirteen asked, and dragged him towards the bar.

"Hey cutie," the bartender said to Chase. "What can I get you?"

"A round of vodka please," Thirteen said.

"Comin' up." The bartender placed six small shot glasses on the counter.

"One," Thirteen said, and tipped the contents of the glass into her mouth.

Chase grabbed a glass and downed it.

"Two," Thirteen said.

Chase downed a second shot.

"Three…" She said, but didn't bring the glass to her lips. Instead, right after Chase had downed his last shot she gave the glass to him.

Chase shook his head. "No.. We've work tomorrow…"

"You're already drunk!" She giggled. She downed the glass herself.

Chase was now nodding his head to the beat and waving his arms. Thirteen threw down the glass along with a tip, then grabbed both of Chase's hands and placed them on her hips again. They swung to the music, Thirteen's long brown hair flying in all directions. Chase was being dazzled by her hair, the lights, the music, and the wild child in his arms.

Thirteen was definitely the most avid dancer Chase had ever been with. She had the best control over her body than any woman he had ever seen, or been with, and she got into the music with ease.

_Should I go for it? _Thirteen asked herself. _Is it worth it?_ She smiled up at Chase who was so out of it he had closed his eyes and was singing along to the music. _He won't even remember it tomorrow…_

She grabbed his face and tipped it towards her, his eyes flying open. He looked slightly confused, then saw her leaning in towards him. He was overtaken with her flawless beauty; her flowing brown hair, her stunning green eyes, and her sharp face. She could a model; why had she chosen medicine? _Wrong time to think about this,_ Chase thought to himself as his lips brushed hers…

Something in his pocket was buzzing. Thirteen grabbed onto him tighter, almost as if to distract him from the phone ringing in his pocket.

Chase broke away and reached for it clumsily. Thirteen tried to push his hands away and kiss him again. "No….Might be important…" He mumbled.

She backed off as he grabbed his phone and flipped it open.

_It can't be, _Chase thought to himself. _What does Allison want? _

"_I… need to…" he pointed at his phone, then stumbled out of the club, warranting laughter from the bartender. _

_Thirteen frowned as he left the bar and stood in the middle of the dance floor, suddenly feeling very alone. _


	4. Comatose

Remy Hadley's alarm clock blared petulantly through her dreams; she reached a hand from under the covers and slapped the alarm off, then rolled over and groaned. After Chase had left, she had gotten some more drinks for herself and then had taken a taxi home. Not only was she going to have to walk to the hospital, but she was super hung over and still stressing about the previous night.

She had had this problem before; the prospect of seeing a man who slighted you after an intimate moment at your workplace was not ideal. _I hope he doesn't remember, she thought as she pulled on a turquoise turtleneck. _

_Her worst fears were realized as she rushed through the doors of the Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital. She was already twenty minutes late when she collided with Robert Chase. _

"_Oh," she said as he bent over to grab the folders he had dropped. "I'm sorry about that."_

"_No problem," Chase said, straightening up. He coughed then said, "so about last night-"_

"_I totally understand." Thirteen said. "Two coworkers out having a good time. It's forgotten. No need to dwell on it." She strode away from him as he opened his mouth to interject. "Gotta go." _

"_Thirteen, just the bisexual I was talking about," House said as she hurriedly entered the glass room. _

"_Sorry I'm late," she mumbled. Foreman shot her a glance but she ignored him._

"_Oh, don't worry about it," House said. "A little girl on girl action is much more important than our comatose patient."_

"_House-" Foreman forewarned, ready to jump to Thirteen's defense._

"_He's in a coma?" She asked, looking from Taub to Foreman to House._

"_Nice catch, Nancy Drew." House said sardonically as he paced the floor, his cane thunking meticulously. _

"_Well then it's not MS," she said._

"_That's a shocker," House replied. _

"_Coma doesn't mean muscles anymore," Taub said. "It's the brain."_

"_Could there be a clot we can't see?" Foreman asked._

"_No," House said, staring at the floor. "It's cancer." _

"_A tumor in the precentral gyrus could explain the bleeding."_

"_Good thing we have a surgery to check out today." House closed his eyes, then left the room. _

_Thirteen and Foreman went to room 434 to check on the patient. He was pale; his eyes fluttered but never opened, and an oxygen mask was placed over his nose and mouth. _

_A girl, no older than 22, was sitting in a chair next to him holding his unresponsive hand. Her head was down and her blond hair was covering her face._

"_Can I help you?" Thirteen asked, approaching the girl._

_The girl shook her head wordlessly, and raised her face to look at Thirteen. Her eyes were swollen and red; she looked like she hadn't slept in days._

"_Do you know him?"_

_She nodded her head, then stared at the floor. _

"_Do you know him well?"_

_Slowly the girl nodded her head. "What's wrong with him?" She asked, her voice breaking._

"_We don't know yet." Foreman said. "It could be anything from his head injury last year, to what we're looking for now: a tumor."_

"_He has cancer?" The girl squeaked._

"_We're not sure," Thirteen said. "Was he acting any different before the seizures? Any different behavior, did he spend a lot of time drinking?" _

_The girl shook her head as her lower lip trembled._

"_So no drug use? Did he reinjure himself in any way?"_

"_No." _

"_Okay, well. Anything you have to tell us about his behavior leading up to this could be vital to his survival," Thirteen said. _

_The girl nodded again, then dropped her head. _

"_Anything different?" Thirteen asked Foreman._

"_Well, his potassium level is a little high, but I wouldn't worry about it."_

"_Okay." Thirteen turned to leave, then addressed the girl once more. "His surgery is at 2:30. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so. You're welcome to wait here for him if you want."_

_The girl said nothing as they closed the door behind them._


End file.
